Scarlet King Snake
Northern Pine Snake
Copper Bellied Water Snake
Black Racer
Black Racers is first up today. Black Racers are slender black snakes of adult size from 30 to 60 inches in length. They are called "racers" because they are active, fast moving snakes. Usually, these snakes quickly slither to the safety of thick grass or brush when encountered. If cornered or grasped, they will bite viciously in defense. In Tennessee there are two subspecies of racers: northern and southern. Outwardly these subspecies are essentially identical in appearance and behavior.
Adult Black Racers are satiny or shiny black above and gray or bluish-gray on the belly. They have a white on the chin and throat. Juvenile racers begin life strongly marked with blotches of dark gray, brown and red. By the time they are 20 inches in length they should have acquired the adult coloration.
Black Racers are diurnal (daylight) hunters. They eat rodents, birds, frogs, lizards and insects. They are constrictors.
Black Racers can be aggressive. I know first hand, when I was about 8 years old I was playing in the yard at my sitters house. We were playing hiding go seek and I hid in a line of shrubbery. My hiding place was already occupied by a Black Racer. It bit me on my leg and when I ran it chased me. It scared the living daylights of me, and ever since I have not been very comfortable with snakes. So that's my snake story. Anyway, thankfully for me they are non-venomous.
Copper and Yellow Bellied Water snakes-A large brown or black snake with an unmarked reddish or orange belly. The young have a blotched pattern which fades with maturity.
These snakes are found in or near river-bottom swamps, woodland ponds, and wooded river banks. They feed on frogs, tadpoles, and fish. An adult can be anywhere from 3-5 feet long, and this species is ENDANGERED! They are non-venomous
Northern Pine Snake- This snake has a whole slew of names such as bull snake,Pilot Snake (I guess somebody tried to let it fly a plane at some point), White Gopher Snake, and tons more. Adults are large, growing to 48-100 inches (122-254 cm) in length, and are powerfully built. The color pattern consists of a light ground color overlaid with black, brown or reddish-brown blotches.
Prefers pine flat woods, sandy pine-oak woodlands, prairies, cultivated fields, open brush land, rocky desert and chaparral.
The Northern Scarlet Snake - It can grow from 14 to 20 inches in length. It is typically a gray or white base color with 17-24 red blotches bordered by black that go down the back. The black borders on the blotches often join on the lower sides of the snake forming a line down the length of the body. Their scales are smooth. They can sometimes be mistaken for the Scarlet King snake, or the Eastern Milk Snake in the areas where their ranges overlap.
The Northern Scarlet Snake is a secretive, burrowing species, preferring habitats of soft soils, often in open forested areas or developed agricultural land. They spend most of their time hidden, emerging to feed on small rodents and lizards, but they have a particular taste for reptile eggs, swallowing them whole or puncturing them and consuming the contents. Like all king snakes they will eat venomous snakes such as Copperheads and Rattlesnakes.
Queen Snake-The Queen snake is a water snake similar in appearance to a Garter snake.
The Queen snake is olive to gray or dark brown in overall colouration, with peach or yellow stripes that run down its length at the first scale row. There are also prominent ventral stripes of a darker colour and as no other species has stripes running down the length of its belly, this is an important feature in identifying this snake.Queen snakes are not large, and they seldom grow more than 24 inches (60cm.) in length. The females are generally slightly larger than the male .
The habitat requirements for the Queen snake are very specific, and this snake is never found in areas that lack clean running streams and watersheds with stony and rocky bottoms. The water temperature must be a minimum of 50°F (28°C) during the snake's active months. This is in a large part due to the snake's dietary requirements. They subsist almost entirely on fresh water crayfish. It preys almost exclusively on newly-molted crayfish, which are not able to defend themselves effectively with their pincers. One study indicates that this type of snake may consume over 90% of its diet strictly on crayfish.[1] Other sources of food include frogs, tadpoles, newts, minnows, snails, and fairy shrimp. The Queen snake does not find its food by sight or heat detection, but by smell, using its tongue to carry the scent of its prey to receptors within its mouth. In this way it is able to home in on its prey, even under water.
It is a diurnal ( daylight)species but it can be found moving about and hunting at night as well. They are often found by turning over rocks within or near the brooks and streams they inhabit. They will also come out of the water to bask in the sun, often perching on branches or roots above or near the waters edge. Queen snakes are very alert to any potential danger and will drop into the water when disturbed. They are rather docile snakes, not too likely to bite and can be easily handled, however, in doing so one risks being polluted by malodorous feces and anal musk, similar to the behaviour of the Garter snake in this defense. Non- Venomous
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